Jazz in the 1960s and beyond routinely paid tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King. On what would have been the civil rights leader's 83d birthday, here's a list of worthy jazz paeans:
John Coltrane—Alabama (1964). This composition was written in honor of the four black girls killed by the 16th St. Baptist 
Church bombing in Birmingham, Ala., on September 15, 1963. The cadence Coltrane chose for the song recorded in November 1963 was based on Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream Speech, delivered in Washington, D.C., in August 1963. Alabama appears on Coltrane's Live at Birdland.
Cecil Payne—Martin Luther King, Jr. (1968). From Zodiac, 
with Kenny Dorham (tp) Cecil Payne (bar-2,as-1) Wynton Kelly (p-3,org-4) Wilbur Ware (b) Albert "Tootie" Heath (d).
Charles Earland—Suite for Martin Luther King (1974). From Kharma, 
with Jon Faddis (tp) Clifford Adams (tb) Dave Hubbard (fl,sop,ts) Charles Earland (org,el-p,synt) Aurell Ray (g) Ron Carter (el-b-1) George Johnson (d).
Big Joe Turner—Martin Luther King 
Southside (1975). From Everyday I Have the Blues, with Joe Turner (vcl) acc by Sonny Stitt (as-1,ts-2) J.D. Nicholson (p) Pee Wee Crayton (g) Chuck Norris (el-b) Washington Rucker (d).
Bill Cole—Martin Luther King, Jr. 
(1999). From Bill Cole's Untempered Ensemble, recorded live at the Carol Sloane Theater in Greenfield, Mass.
let us not forget Julius Hemphill's suite, At Dr. King;s Table.
Posted by: Allen Lowe | January 16, 2012 at 08:03 AM
Good list. A few more:
Seranade To A Bus Seat--Clark Terry
March on Selma--Blue Mitchell
Tell Him Not To Talk Too Long--Mary Lou Williams
Poor People's March--Bobby Hutcherson
Movin' On Up--Freddie Roach
Prayer For Passive Resistance--Charles Mingus
Posted by: DE | January 16, 2012 at 08:11 AM
And one of the very best: Herbie Hancock's "I Have a Dream," from one of his finest albums, THE PRISONER (Blue Note, 1969).
Posted by: Bill Kirchner | January 16, 2012 at 11:43 AM
Add this one to the MLK Jr. list!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbWeXY1KdqI
Posted by: Dennis Manitsas | January 16, 2012 at 02:28 PM
One of my favorites:
The Teachers - James Moody (1970)
Posted by: Brian Schmidt | January 16, 2012 at 02:56 PM
The Dream/It's Time - Max Roach drumming underneath Dr. MLK speechifying!
Posted by: Jazz Lunatique | January 17, 2012 at 12:17 AM
Wow, Marc - great column - thank you.
And here's a bit of jazz history for MLK Day...when Dr. King was assassinated, Ella Fitzgerald was devastated, so she channeled her emotions into a song - she wrote "It's Up to Me and You". It was released as a single - flip side to "Brighten the Corner". On Capitol Records (who didn't do a whole lot to promote it....) Benny Carter conducted and arranged.
Fran Morris-Rosman
Executive Director
The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation
www.ellafitzgeraldfoundation.org
Posted by: Fran Morris Rosman | January 17, 2012 at 11:31 AM
Nina Simone's "Why? (The King of Love is Dead)"
And just last year, San Francisco bassist/bandleader Marcus Shelby released "Soul of the Movement: Meditations on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."
http://www.marcusshelby.com/
Posted by: Duane | January 17, 2012 at 02:21 PM
Nice video on Max Roach's The Dream/It's Time (from Chattahoochee Red) is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GgPldvgiyk
Posted by: JB | January 18, 2012 at 02:47 AM